RMNP is free! (Taylor Peak)

I had high hopes for today: the Notch Couloir on McHenry Peak looks like a great moderate ice climb in a scenic and unfamiliar part of the park. Sadly, the description isn’t kidding when it says “don’t underestimate the route-finding challenge.” The use trail up to Shelf Lake is very hard to find, and the alternative is a steep, miserable bushwhack. After wasting an hour wandering around in the woods, I retreated and climbed Taylor Peak via the Andrews Glacier as a consolation prize. There was plenty of nice scenery, but a day of hiking and tip-toeing across talus with 6 inches of fresh snow on it wasn’t what I had in mind.